OPERATIVES of the Department of State Services (DSS) have arrested a sixth suspect allegedly connected to the deadly 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, marking a significant breakthrough in the long-running investigation into one of Nigeria’s most horrific terror incidents in recent years. News Point Nigeria reports that the attack, which occurred in June 2022 in Owo, Ondo State, claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left dozens injured, sending shockwaves across the country and drawing widespread condemnation. Security sources confirmed that the suspect, identified as Sani Yusuf, was apprehended in the Iguosa community along Powerline…
Author: Hamza Rufai
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PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu, on Monday in Abuja, urged Muslim and Christian leaders in the country to show greater compassion for the poor and underprivileged by pursuing policies that cater to the needs of the majority in the grassroots. News Point Nigeria reports that the President, who hosted governors for the breaking of an interfaith fast at the Presidential Villa, said the simultaneous periods of abstinence and penitence for both religions underscore a common humanity. President Tinubu noted that Ramadan and Lent provide opportunities for leaders in both religions to reflect further on the plight of others and to design programmes…
NICHOLAS Mutu Ebomo, the lawmaker representing Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency of Delta State, has emerged as the longest-serving member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, maintaining an unbroken presence in the green chamber since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999. With 27 consecutive years in parliament, Mutu remains the only legislator to have served continuously from Nigeria’s return to democratic governance to date, a rare feat in a political landscape often marked by defections, intense party rivalries and shifting alliances. Since his first election in 1999 on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mutu has successfully secured re-election…
THE National Assembly has introduced far-reaching reforms in Nigeria’s electoral framework with the enactment of the Electoral Act 2026, prescribing a two-year jail term for any Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) who withholds vital electoral documents and establishing a dedicated fund to guarantee the financial autonomy of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2027 general election. News Point Nigeria reports that the sweeping reforms were disclosed on Sunday by the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, in a statement issued in Abuja, where he outlined what lawmakers described as a painstaking two-year process of recrafting Nigeria’s electoral governance…
AT an age when most university students rush between lectures with plates of rice, bread rolls or snacks in hand, 21-year-old Sammy Samaila walks quietly across campus carrying something different, a flask of pap. For more than two decades, Sammy has never eaten solid food. Yet he is now a 400-level Sociology student at Gombe State University, steadily approaching graduation with determination that belies the mystery surrounding his condition. In an exclusive interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Sammy revealed that since childhood, his diet has consisted entirely of liquids, pap, “tom brown” made from millet, groundnuts and soya…
THE by-election for the Ungogo and Kano Municipal State Assembly constituencies in Kano State was overshadowed by controversy on Saturday as three major opposition parties — the African Democratic Congress (ADC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) shunned the polls, citing alleged irregularities and fears of violence. News Point Nigeria reports that the rerun election was conducted to fill the vacant seats left by the deaths of Aminu Sa’ad Ungogo and Sarki Aliyu Daneji, both elected on the NNPP platform, who passed away on the same day in December 2025. Leaders of the boycotting parties alleged…
THE Senate on Thursday confronted the President’s economic management team over what it described as poor implementation of the 2025 budget and unrealistic assumptions underpinning the proposed ₦58.7 trillion 2026 budget, raising the possibility of trimming the ambitious spending plan. News Point Nigeria reports that the sharp exchanges occurred during a tense budget defence session before the Senate Committee on Appropriations, where key members of the economic team appeared to defend the Federal Government’s fiscal projections. Several lawmakers expressed frustration over widespread complaints from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) regarding non-funding of the 2025 budget. Senators cited reports of unpaid…
GOMBE State Governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, CON, has received the Member representing Yamaltu-Deba Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Inuwa Garba, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). During the visit, Hon. Garba formally presented his APC membership card to the Governor, which he obtained from his ward in Lubo, Yamaltu-Deba Local Government Area, signifying his full integration into the progressive family. Explaining his decision, the lawmaker said he was inspired by Governor Inuwa Yahaya’s purposeful leadership, people-centred policies and outstanding performance across Gombe State, as well as the reform-driven…
NIGERIA’s spending on the Presidential Air Fleet has risen sharply due to overseas maintenance arrangements, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) told the Senate during its 2026 budget defence session. News Point Nigeria reports that the disclosure was made by Mohammed Sanusi, Permanent Secretary at the Office of the National Security Adviser, when he appeared before the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence to present the agency’s proposed estimates for the 2026 fiscal year. Sanusi explained that the continued servicing of aircraft in the Presidential Air Fleet outside Nigeria has significantly increased maintenance expenditure, placing additional strain…
THE Federal Government has ordered the closure of areas covered by Mining Licence 11810 in the Wase Local Government of Plateau State. This followed the deaths of 37 villagers allegedly mining in a pit containing gaseous emissions. According to a statement sent to News Point Nigeria by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development on Wednesday, the licence is operated by Solid Unit Nigeria Limited, owned by Abdullahi Dan-China in Zuraq. In a condolence call to Governor Caleb Mutfwang, Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, sympathised with him over the loss of the innocent citizens who died while trying to…
THE Federal Capital Territory police command has deployed personnel across the territory ahead of the Area council elections. This is as the command announced a restriction of movement across the FCT from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00pm on election day with exemptions for essential service providers and election officials. News Point Nigeria reports that the Area council elections is slated to hold on February 21, 2026. The Independent National Electoral Commission has cleared candidates from 17 political parties to contest the forthcoming local government elections in the Federal Capital Territory. The election covers 68 elective positions, comprising six area council chairmanship…
THE Senate on Tuesday passed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill, 2026, following a tense and, at times, rowdy plenary session marked by sharp exchanges among lawmakers. News Point Nigeria reports that the bill was approved after extensive deliberations and a dramatic division over Clause 60, a provision dealing with the electronic transmission of election results. The controversy erupted when Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (ADC, Abia South) demanded a division on Clause 60(3), specifically objecting to a proviso that allows manual transmission of election results where electronic transmission fails due to network issues. Abaribe sought the removal of the…
PRESIDENT Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to confirm the nominations of Retired Admiral Jamila Abubakar as National Commissioner representing Adamawa State at the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and Ambassador Ismail Yusuf as Chairman of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON). News Point Nigeria reports that the requests were conveyed in two separate letters addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, and read during plenary on Tuesday. In his letter, President Tinubu said the nomination of Retired Admiral Jamila Abubakar Sadiq for appointment as INEC National Commissioner was made in compliance with Section 154(1)…
THE House of Representatives was in a rowdy session on Tuesday as lawmakers disagreed over a motion seeking to rescind the passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, which contained real-time electronic transmission of results. The Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, had moved a motion for the House to rescind its decision on the bill, which was passed on December 23, in line with the Senate’s position on real-time electronic transmission of election results. When the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas, put the motion to a voice vote, the “nays” were…
THE Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives has directed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation to prepare and submit the consolidated financial statements and audited accounts of the Federal Government for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 before October 2026. News Point Nigeria reports that the directive was issued on Monday during an investigative hearing at the National Assembly, where lawmakers examined persistent delays in the submission of audited government accounts and scrutinised the effectiveness of Nigeria’s public financial management systems. Chairman of the Committee, Bamidele Salam,…
THE Senate has defended its decision to make the electronic transmission of election results discretionary rather than mandatory in the ongoing reform of the country’s electoral framework, insisting that its action was guided by empirical evidence and national realities. News Point Nigeria reports that he upper legislative chamber said the amendment to Clause 60(3) of the Electoral Bill, 2026, followed extensive consultations and careful evaluation of data from the communications and power sectors, not emotions or political considerations. Clause 60(3) of the proposed Electoral Bill had stipulated that presiding officers “shall electronically transmit the results from each polling unit to…
THE Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, says he will support only candidates who align with President Bola Tinubu in the forthcoming FCT Area Council elections scheduled for February 21, 2026. The minister made the remarks in Abuja on Saturday during the 60th birthday celebration of Senator Sandy Onor, describing his stance as a duty he owes to the President. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, Wike said he would support any candidate, regardless of party affiliation, provided they back the…
FORMER Vice President Atiku Abubakar has strongly denied allegations by former Ekiti State Governor Peter Ayodele Fayose that negotiations took place over a vice-presidential ticket during his recent visit to former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida. In a statement sent to News Point Nigeria on Thursday in Abuja, Atiku described Fayose as a “serial political gossip” and urged the public to disregard what he termed “beer parlour tales of infamy.” Fayose had claimed that Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde agreed to run as Atiku’s vice-presidential candidate, allegedly promising to contribute ₦10 billion as part of the arrangement. The claim reportedly…
THE Senate on Thursday declared that Nigeria is not yet prepared for real-time electronic transmission of election results in the strict sense of e-voting, insisting that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) currently lacks the technical capacity to conduct fully electronic elections. News Point Nigeria reports that the Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee reviewing the 2026 Electoral Bill, Senator Adeniyi Adegbonmire, made the clarification during an interview on Arise News, amid sustained public debate over provisions relating to electronic transmission of results and the use of the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IReV). According to the Senate, widespread public commentary…
THE Senate has threatened to withhold consideration and approval of the 2026 budget proposal for the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), citing poor fund releases to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the non-payment of contractors. News Point Nigeria reports that the warning was issued on Thursday during a budget defence session between the Senate Committee on Finance and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, at the National Assembly. Chairman of the committee, Senator Sani Musa, said lawmakers would not entertain the 2026 proposal until the Accountant-General provides satisfactory assurances regarding improved budget implementation and timely…